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Local eSports results from this weekend

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Dota 2 wallpapers

While many of us spent the long weekend catching up on gaming backlogs and eating mountains of chocolate, some of South Africa’s best Dota 2 players were going head to head. There were two major tournaments this weekend: the Liberty LAN and the MSSA’s provincial online championships. Check out all the details.

First up, we have cool news from the Liberty LAN. Remember, this was an invitational tournament, with most of the teams coming from the DGL’s premier league. These teams play each other often, and have built up some rivalries over the years that add to the drama. Bravado Gaming brought two teams, BvD Emotion and BvD Blue, while Energy also came in strong with their Dota 2 team. Another favorite was Liberty Team.

Following a double elimination tournament style, we had a winner and loser bracket. You can see all the results thanks to the good people of the DGL who were running the event. Energy and BvD Emotion faced off early on in the winner’s bracket, resulting in Energy getting knocked down into the loser’s bracket. However, they fought back hard, beating BvD Blue and Liberty Team to earn a spot in the Grand Finals. Unfortunately, there they had to face BvD Emotion again, losing 3-1. While Bravado took the glory in the Dota 2 tournament, Energy dominated at COD: Ghosts and CS:GO, earning the top spot for both games. Both MGOs did very well for themselves, continuing to lead the way in local eSports.

CS and COD Winners

I was unable to attend the event, but from what I heard it ran fairly smoothly. There were some network issues at the start, leading to a delay in the competitive gaming. This meant games ended up going on late into the evening, limiting rest for the players. Of course, that is part of the experience, as we’ve seen similar timings at the pro level on the international stage.

Dota 2 champ

Meanwhile, there was another bunch of Dota 2 going down, this time among those trying to get provincial (and possibly eventually national) colors. That’s right, the MSSA was having their online championship at the same time the top teams were facing off at the Liberty LAN. So, how did their tournament go down?

According to their press release, the online championships were the last chance to qualify for the 2014 Protea Team Trials. Despite being online, and thus available to more teams, most of the true eSports athletes were taking part in the Liberty LAN. As such, it would seem that only five teams took part, of which two were from TUKS and two were high school teams. As a result, Some Random Slackers swept the tournament, winning all their matches. I’m a bit confused by the phrasing of the PR statement:

All five members of the team are from Cape Town. The team members of ‘Some Random Slackers’ are; Ion ‘NotioN’ Todd, Tim ‘Zealot’ Mostert, Jason ‘Meherim’ Bredberg, Dylan ‘Pixelpusha’ Henderson, and Saleem ‘Slimz’ Manjoo.

Nevertheless, the team seemed to work well under pressure as they demolished each and every team that they were drawn against.

[…] The team has thus too sailed through to qualify for the Protea Team Trials in which 17 other teams have also qualified to make the 2014 National Team Trials the most hotly contested trials ever. It is at such trials that the MSSA shall select the official South African National Team that shall play in a number of on-line test matches.

Not sure what the “nevertheless” is in reference to – were they not expected to work well under pressure because they’re from Cape Town, or because their team name has the work Slackers in it? Also, that last sentence, I think it means that they have now qualified for the national trials, but I’m not too sure why it is so awkwardly phrased.

Classic facepalm

For those who are wondering, Some Random Slackers are taking part in the DGL. They are in the open league – not the premier league – and they have not yet reached the point of making it through the playoffs. That’s right, they’re not yet in the running for the premier league at the DGL, but they might just end up representing South Africa for Dota 2.

When approached on Facebook about how this team can represent SA, the MSSA had the following response:

What you have to realise is that all teams have the opportunity to play in the MSSA Championships. If they do not, then that is their choice, and they thus make themselves ineligible for selection.

You may be the best cricket player in the world, but if you do not participate in CSA events, you will not be selected for the Protea Cricket Team.

It is the same with the Protea eSports Team..

More than anything, I think it just proves how irrelevant the MSSA has become. Sure, they can award provincial and national colors, and help people travel overseas for tournaments (regardless of team quality), but if high level teams don’t see the point in playing in their championships, they lose any clout that they might have once had.

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Last Updated: April 22, 2014

25 Comments

  1. Admiral Chief in Space

    April 22, 2014 at 11:50

    I feel the same way about the MSSA as the way I feel about the proposed Rugby “quotas”

    Reply

    • Viking Of Science

      April 22, 2014 at 12:00

      what’s “rugby”?

      Reply

      • Kensei Seraph

        April 22, 2014 at 12:04

        I think it’s a bit like the sport that the Fifa games are based on, except that they seem to carry the ball a lot and don’t have to attend acting lessons.

        Reply

      • Hammersteyn

        April 22, 2014 at 12:18

        It’s like Dota but with fifteen players on each side and the have to get to ball to the other teams base to score

        Reply

      • Jammer777

        April 22, 2014 at 13:01

        It’s like DOTA, but the players aren’t require to abstain from intercourse for the next 10 years.

        Reply

        • Lardus-Resident Perve

          April 22, 2014 at 13:38

          Abstain? Is that what they call it these days if you can’t get any intercourse?

          Reply

  2. Viking Of Science

    April 22, 2014 at 12:01

    So… I could get a few buddies, start playing DOTA 2, and stand a decent chance of representing South Africa? yay democracy, i guess….

    Reply

    • Kensei Seraph

      April 22, 2014 at 12:07

      Don’t you have to live within a certain distance of each other to qualify though?

      Reply

      • Rince the Unhuggable

        April 22, 2014 at 12:25

        Depends what day it is, whether you are English and what mood the MSSA are in.

        Reply

        • Kensei Seraph

          April 22, 2014 at 12:54

          Sounds about right.

          Reply

  3. Hammersteyn

    April 22, 2014 at 12:05

    “What you have to realise” usually precedes a load of steaming bullshit

    Reply

  4. UltimateNinjaPandaDudeGuy

    April 22, 2014 at 12:06

    I think the MSSA doesn’t realize that e-Sports isn’t linked to nationality.

    They are trying to force this whole Proteas thing, but honestly I would feel more proud wearing Energy eSports colours than SA colours in eSports…

    Reply

  5. Lardus-Resident Perve

    April 22, 2014 at 12:13

    Once went to a “competitive LAN” to play DotA – I realised what hogwash it was when I, as a lower-level casual player, killed all 5 enemies within 5 seconds of each other in the “finals”. Never went to the big LANs though. Seems I should join MSSA and get my colours!
    Look, we cannot blame MSSA that “lesser” teams can qualify for colours because the premier teams did not show up. We can perhaps place some blame at the MSSA steps for the premier teams not bothering to show because they do not believe in MSSA (or whatever other reasoning), or preferring DGL events to “official” events.

    Reply

    • noxville

      April 22, 2014 at 17:19

      The players of the best teams in the country are either being threatened with legal action from the MSSA, or just want nothing to do with such incompetence.

      Reply

  6. Rince the Unhuggable

    April 22, 2014 at 12:23

    Love the press releases. Like it’s written by some 8 year old. http://thestranded.files.wordpress.com/2013/06/you-cant-handle-the-truth.gif

    Reply

  7. Cong Tuyen

    April 22, 2014 at 12:25

  8. Rags

    April 22, 2014 at 12:32

    Hmm, the reason why sRs is in the open division is the same reason why Ph4ntom is in the QL open division. It’s their first season. sRs finished top of the log in their group, winning 10 from 11 games and should be playing the in playoffs to enter the first division. So that’s a bit unfair.

    Source: http://www.dogamingleague.co.za/stage.php?id=756

    Reply

    • Robert Hart

      April 22, 2014 at 12:50

      They are in the Breakthrough playoffs: http://www.dogamingleague.co.za/stage.php?id=855

      Reply

      • Rags

        April 22, 2014 at 13:02

        Yep, and you cannot progress from the open to premier division instantly. So how can Zoe say they “have not yet reached the point of making it into the playoffs”? Weird. It only takes 2 minutes to check.

        Reply

        • Her Highness the Hipster

          April 22, 2014 at 13:11

          Sorry guys! misread the table that I found from DGL – saw them as bottom of their playoff group. article has been updated 🙂

          Reply

          • Rags

            April 22, 2014 at 13:30

            Its still unfair/toxic language imo, unless I am not seeing the update? But okay.

            Let me just point this out to you, that the division a team plays in is not the only representative of their skills. First season players are in the open division. Would you say the same thing of Ph4ntom? That he is unworthy of representing South Africa because he is in the open division?

            Finishing top of the log in the open division is at least worth mentioning above what division they are not playing in, to give a more accurate reflection of their skills instead of trying to smudge it to fit in with your point on the mssa.

          • noxville

            April 22, 2014 at 17:48

            Rags: You make a valid point. They won 10 of their 11 matches in the Open Division. That said, they’re in a pool of much weaker teams, they won 3 of their games as 2-1 victories, and got beaten 2-0 by BOA. BOA themselves only lost one match (looks like a forfeit). BOA competed in Orena, where they got knocked down by Rain and then out by DC.oBi. If BOA 2-0’d the team that won the MSSA event, and BOA themselves always lose to tier 1 and tier 2 teams, then I don’t think it’s fair to say that it’s completely unknown how good or bad sRs are. What we do know, is that they’re not the best team in the country, not even close.

            I admit there’s quite a lot of generalizations and small sample sizes in this statement, but I’m certain that a team like Bravado Black (who went 20-0 in DGL games [10-0 in matches]) against Premier teams are statistically much better than a team that goes 20-5 (in games) against a bunch of random untested teams.

            Whatever team the MSSA decides is the national team, I’m keen to see them play a match against BvD Emotion, Energy, Bvd Blue or FoJ. If they’re not a Prem team, I would bet that they will lose, even if the mode is -ar or even if they pick both teams heroes.

            You’re totally right though in suggesting that DGL shouldn’t be regarded as the only benchmark in South African eSports. If there are other competitions that are relevant, with large-scale participation by the top teams, then sure – include those results. In this case though, sRs have no other track record, no other tournaments with which to compare. I’ve played in DGL Open Division myself, with some ‘very good’ people. We went 9-0 in matches, 18-0 in games. Even after those results, there’s no way I’d consider our team even top 20 based solely off of those results. This team didn’t even win all their games (not just against one team, but they dropped multiple games against many teams).

          • Rags

            April 23, 2014 at 10:38

            What I am objecting to is the logic of Zoe and to suggest because they are not in the premier division they can be used as a stick to beat the mssa with. Firstly they don’t deserve such treatment, second they are until proven otherwise only in the open league because of it being their first season.

            “That’s right, they’re not yet in the running for the premier league at the DGL”

            That is just a non sequitur on her part.

            I know they are not a tier 1 team, but that does not make it right for Zoe to lambaste them the way she has, based on faulty logic and lack or knowledge on her side.

            And while it may be interesting for them to play the top teams, to see how they measure up, they don’t have to, to prove a point. Like it or not, Mr Webster is right on this point. If you don’t compete at the MSSA events you can’t be selected. And to demonise the teams who do participate at their events is just wrong.

          • noxville

            April 23, 2014 at 11:52

            Yeah, you’re totally right. The best team in the country could be in Open Division.

            This just isn’t that case. Zoe shouldn’t have made that association, and should have just pointed at the underlying statistics (like I did) to support her claim.

            You’re also right about Webster. He, sorry I mean the MSSA, can only select teams/players who participate in MSSA events. But, by the same logic as used above, he can’t call them “the best team in the country”.

          • Rags

            April 23, 2014 at 13:55

            Yeah agree.

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